When I have a friend in need, I cook. It just feels right to make something nourishing or sweet for someone I care about. Lately, I’ve been wondering if this instinct could be inherited. My mom’s a great cook, and when I’m sad or sick, all I want is her perfectly poached egg on toast. What about the culinary roots that extend farther back?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

Dearest Max,

I can’t believe you’re already graduating from college. How did four years pass at Lightspeed? Has it felt slower for you? I hope you’ve been able to savor this precious stage of your life.

You’ve blossomed these past four years into a magnificent young man. You don’t need much advice from me. But, it’s the season for commencement speeches, and I’m a writer and your mom, so here goes: 12 things to think about as you embark on your next big adventure.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

Dear Anonymous Bone Marrow Donor,

Eight years ago, on what probably began as a perfectly ordinary day, you learned your bone marrow matched the marrow of a 14-year-old boy, a sweet, funny, strong lad with a laser-bright smile. Due to a rare disease, at the time, he was way too skinny and the wrong shade of pale.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

I don’t know what got me thinking about my quirks, but it was probably goat cheese. I hate it so much I tell people I’m allergic to it. It’s simpler than explaining how having goat cheese in my mouth makes me black out.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

I started keeping a diary in 1979 when I was nine years old. It was bright yellow and came with a gold lock and a tiny key. "Diary-ing" has been an impossible habit to break—not that I’d ever want to. Even today, if I’m up at 3:00 a.m. because a seed of an idea has planted itself inside my brain, I know sleep will be impossible until I’ve written it down.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

Maybe it’s a sign of maturity that I’m starting to accept that whatever I do and wherever I go, from now, Belly Fat will be along for the ride. We have to pick our battles, right?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

My in-laws are Jewish immigrants from Romania and Poland and have both known way too much discrimination, tragedy, and loss. In 1962, they left their families in Israel and Europe and made the long trip to the United States. Over time, they built a business, and a life, and taught their sons to value hard work, education, determination, family, and freedom.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

On June 1st, 2023, my beloved friend Janet died of congestive heart failure at 89 years old. Among many things, Janet was known for her incredible knitting. I’m also a knitter, and before Janet and I said goodbye for the very last time, I asked her if she’d do me a favor.

“Janet,” I said, “if you have a way of coming back after you’ve gone, you have to send me a sign so I know it’s you. You could do something with my knitting!” 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

If you live with a teen, I bet you’re familiar with Forced Family Fun. It’s a concept rooted in the parents’ intellectual understanding that time is fleeting and our emotional need to make happy memories, build familial bonds, offer sage advice, and parent as perfectly as possible. For teens, F.F.F. is your basic W.I.E.: Worst Idea Ever.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com

Need a break from the gloom and doom of the current news cycle? If you’ll pause the cat videos you’ve been distracting yourself with, I’ve got a heartwarming story to share.

When I was nine years old and growing up in Dunedin, New Zealand, an international pen pal program connected me with a fellow nine-year-old in Chicago named Lisa. We sent each other photos, capturing our goofy grins when we lost teeth in the 70s and my oversized glasses and her oversized hair in the 80s. Eventually, in our early teens, Lisa and I lost touch.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willowolder.substack.com